Machine for catching and destroying potato-bugs



(No Model.)

B. CROWLEY.

MACHINE FOR GATGHING AND DESTROYING POTATO'BUGS.

No. 361,139. Patented Apr. 12, 1887.

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. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD CROWLEY, OF PIERCE, NEBRASKA.

MACHINE FOR CATCH lNG AND DESTROYING POTATO-BUGS.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,139, dated April12, 1887.

Application filed June 17,1886.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD CROWLEY, a

citizen of the United States,residing at Pierce,

in the county of Pierce and State of Nebraska,

have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Catching andDestroying Potato-Bugs, of which the following is a specification. 1

My invention relates to an improvement in machines for catching anddestroying potatobugs; and it consists in the peculiar construction andcombination of devices, that will be more fully set forth hereinafter,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is atop plan view of my invention. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same, with parts broken away to disclose interiormechanism. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on linem 00 of Fig. 1.

A represents a rectangular frame, which is providedwith a tongue,B,forthe attachment of the draft-animals, an axle, 0, provided with wheels'Dand E, and a seat, F, for the driver. From the front and rear ends ofthe frame A depend brackets G, to each of which is pivoted apair ofparallel arms, H.

1 represents hand-levers, which are journaled or pivoted in bracketsK,that arosecured on the front and rear ends of the frame A, at the innerside thereof. The said brackets are provided with the usual segmentallocking-plates,k, and the hand-levers are provided with the usualspring-actuated detents,

L, to engage with the said locking-plates, and thereby secure thehand-levers at any desired angle. The hand levers are also provided withrocking arms M, from which depend rods N,that are attached to the lowerparallel arms, H. The front upper arm H is connected to the projectinginner end of the axle by a bar, 0, having its rear end pivoted on theprojecting spindle of the axle and its front end connected near theouter end of the said front upper arm H. A sliding clutch, P, isfeathered on the inner projecting spindle of the axle, and engages thewheel E,so as to lock the said wheel and clutch together and cause themto rotate simultaneously, and the said clutch is providedwithsprocket-teeth,whereby itisconverted into a sprocket-wheel.

It represents a spring-arm which has its Serial No. 205,430. (No model.)

front end attached to the bar 0, and the rear end of the said spring-armengages the sliding clutch. A lever, S, is attached to the springarm, bymeans of which the sliding clutch may be moved outwardly from the wheelE, and thereby disengaged therefrom.

T represents a box, which is pivoted to the outer end of the arms H. Thesaid box is provided with the vertical side wall, 15, and the horizontalbottom plate, 1., between which, at the lower edgeof the side wall andthe inner edge of the bottom plate, is made a longitudinal opening, t. Alongitudinal crushingroller, V, is journaled in the corner between 1 theside wall and the bottom of the box, and to the rearward-projectingspindle of the said roller {is attached a miter pinion, V. roller Vbears against the upper edge of the slot t, and the lower side of thesaid roller is nearly but not quite in contact with the bottom of thebox. In brackets tiwhich project horizontally from the upper side of thebox, is journaled a longitudinal shaft, W, which is provided with radialarms 10 at each end, the arms at the front end of the shaft being out ofline with those at the rear end of the shaft. To the outer end of thesaid arms are attached wings or blades to, which are arranged diagonallywith relation to theshaft W and are parallel with each other. To therear end of theshaft W is attached a miter-pinionfiV, which meshes witha similar pinion, X, secured on the outer end of a shaft, X, which isjournaled in bearings on the rear end of the box T, at the upper side ofthe same- To the extreme inner end of the said shaft X is attached asprocketwheel, X which is connected to the sprocketwheel P by means ofan endless chain, a. The" shaft X also carries a sprocket wheel, X whichis connected by means of an endless sprocket-chain, b, with asprocket-wheel, Y, which is attached to the inner projecting end of thespindle of a roller,Y,whieh latter is journaled transversely in the rearend of the box T, at the lower side of the same, and is provided withmiter gear-teeth Y", which mesh with the pinion V. made at the rear endof the box T, and the roller Y bears against the upper edge of the saidslot, and nearly but not quite against the bottom of the box, the sameas theroller V.

The operation of myinvention is as follows:

A transverse horizontal slot, t, is V The The machine is driven parallelwith the rows of potato-vines with the reel formed by the shaft W andthe wing w bearing against the potato-vines. As the machine advances,the reel is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3,and the wings of the reel beat against the potato-vines, dislodge thepotato-bugs therefrom, and'sweep them into the box T, where they fallupon the rollers V and Y, and are crushed by the rotation of the saidrollers, and swept outwardly, after being crushed, through the slots tand t.

By pivoting the box T to the outer ends of the pivoted arms H andproviding the saidarms with the hand-levers I, for raising and loweringthem, the box T,carrying the sweep reel, may be raised or lowered,according to the height of the potato-vines, and thus adapt the machineto be operated when the potatovines are at any stage of their growth.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a machine for killingpotato-bugs, the combination of the box T, having the'slots or openingst t at opposite points, the rotating crushing-rollers V Y, located at anangle to each other and geared together, said rollers working over theopenings or slots t t, and the rotating reel to sweep the bugs from theplarlits directly onto the crushing-rollers, as set fort 1.

2. In a machine for killing potato-bugs, the combination of the box Tand the crushingrollers, located at an angle to each other above thebottom of the box, with the rotating reel located above thecrushing-rollers, so that the bugs are swept from the plants directlyonto the rollers, as set forth.

3. The combination, in a machine for killing potato-bugs, of thevertically-movable box having the sweep-reel and the crushing-rollers,and the levers for raising orlowering the said box, substantially asdescribed.

4. Thecombination of the frame A, having the supporting-wheels and thelaterally pro-' jecting pivoted arms H, and the levers for raising andlowering the said arms, the box T, secured to the arms H and carryingthe sweepreel and the crushing-rollers, and mechanism connecting thesaid reel and rollers with one of the wheels of the frame A, whereby thesaid reel and rollers will be rotated as the machine advances,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD CROWLEY.

\Vitncsses:

D. W. ELLIOTT,

W. H HUNERTUFI, J AS. H. BROWN.

